Sunday Post print plant earmarked for closure

THE print plant that produces, among other titles, The Sunday Post has been earmarked for closure.

Around 70 print staff at publisher, DC Thomson’s Port Dundas facility in Glasgow have been informed their posts have been targeted for redundancy. They are now involved in a period of consultation about their futures.

In a statement, the company says: “In spite of the firm’s efforts to retain production at Port Dundas in Glasgow, it has become clear that this is increasingly less viable, given both the continuing decline in print volumes and the financial constraints within which the plant operates.”

No editorial staff are affected. The statement continues: “We intend to work with our staff to ensure the best possible outcome for each individual during this difficult period. DC Thomson is grateful to all those who work at our Port Dundas print production facility. DC Thomson’s Glasgow plant currently produces The Sunday Post as well as contract printing. It is anticipated that in the event of a closure, production will cease during 2012.”

DC Thomson first began printing at Port Dundas in 1905. It currently prints the newspapers for the Scottish Daily Express, the Scottish Sunday Express, the Daily Star of Scotland and the Daily Star of Scotland – Sunday.

A spokesperson for Express Newspapers said: “We are in conversation with DC Thomson; we are monitoring the situation.”

Last year, DC Thomson announced it planned to close its Dundee-based magazine printing and book-binding facility, with the loss of 350 jobs. That process is ongoing.